In Part Three of Plausible Denial of Liability — When Silence Becomes Strategy, host Madeline-Michelle: Carthen continues her in-depth conversation with Eugene Bickley, who has spent nearly 28.2 years incarcerated following a St. Louis City conviction.

This episode moves beyond procedural filings and into the structural realities of long-term incarceration. The discussion examines evidence preservation, access to original case records, witness reliability over time, and the transparency of post-conviction review processes. It also addresses the psychological weight of pursuing legal remedies across decades when judicial pathways narrow and procedural barriers increase.

Rather than relitigating facts, this conversation focuses on institutional responsibility and the long-term implications of silence within the justice system. What happens when evidence becomes harder to access? When review processes lack clarity? When time itself becomes an obstacle?

Part Three invites listeners to consider the endurance required to seek accountability in prolonged cases and the importance of preserving the public record even when formal reconsideration is uncertain.

Resilience2Redemption remains committed to examining justice carefully not as an attorney but with human dignity, questioning silence thoughtfully and encouraging informed civic awareness rooted in documented facts.

In this international episode of Resilience2Redemption, host Madeline-Michelle: Carthen leads a cross-continental dialogue examining prison conditions, human dignity, and reform.

Joining the conversation is Frans Douw, former Dutch prison warden and global prison reform advocate. With more than 40 years of leadership experience in correctional institutions and forensic psychiatry, Frans recently traveled from Amsterdam to Texas as a guest panel speaker at a conference hosted by the Prison and Jail Innovation Lab. His visit focused on research surrounding sleep deprivation in prisons and its impact on mental health, rehabilitation, and human rights.

Also joining the discussion is Jessica Dickerson, Board Member of Texas Prison Community Advocates. Jessica works in research, social media engagement, and legislative advocacy to improve conditions within Texas prisons while supporting incarcerated individuals and their families.

Together, this episode bridges global leadership and grassroots advocacy — exploring systemic challenges, accountability, and practical reform.

On this episode of Resilience2Redemption, host Madeline-Michelle: Carthen leads an urgent conversation on the recent unrest connected to the St. Louis County Justice Center, the advocacy efforts of EXPO StL, and growing concerns over proposed legislation SB 888 and HB 2498.

Executive Director Latrell Stanton explains that the most recent uprising followed severe staffing shortages during a January snowstorm, resulting in extended lock-downs and reported limited access to food, water, medication, and communication. He emphasizes that pretrial detainees are legally presumed innocent, yet detention conditions often resemble punishment. Chronic understaffing, sanitation concerns, delayed medical care, and lack of transparency contribute to systemic instability. According to Stanton, repeated unrest signals structural failure rather than isolated incidents.

The discussion shifts to policy concerns. Stanton outlines how SB 888 and HB 2498 could expand prosecutorial authority in juvenile cases, potentially increasing certification of youth into adult systems and expanding record accessibility. Advocates fear these changes would move the system further from rehabilitation and disproportionately impact Black and Brown youth, creating long-term barriers in employment, housing, and education.

Keisha, an impacted mother, shares the emotional toll of having her son certified as an adult while still a minor. She describes the constant worry of knowing her child is housed within an adult system and the broader strain placed on families navigating the judicial process. She stresses the importance of parental involvement, asking questions, and remaining engaged despite the complexity of the system.

Throughout the conversation, Madeline-Michelle highlights the intersection of detention conditions, legislative reform, and family impact, underscoring that transparency and community engagement are critical to meaningful change.

This episode calls listeners to remain informed, stay engaged, and participate constructively in civic processes that affect youth, families, and justice reform in Missouri.

Welcome back to Resilience2Redemption podcast. This is a global platform where truth is spoken boldly and those unseen by the system are heard across the world.

This is Part 2 of our four-part investigative series: From 99 Years to Freedom on Paper: The Case for Eddie Houston’s Actual Innocence.

Last week, we heard from Mr. Eddie “Fast Eddie” Houston, a Texas man sentenced to 99 years for a crime he maintains he did not commit. He served over 36 years before being released under parole provisions, but not exonerated.

Today we examine the legal consequences of missing transcripts, structural barriers to actual innocence claims, and what systemic reform could look like. Because release is not the same as justice and parole is not the same as innocence.

Mr. Eddie, welcome back.

Madeline:
Your trial transcripts were reportedly destroyed years after your conviction. That is the historical record of your trial. If those transcripts had never been destroyed, what testimony do you believe would expose weaknesses in the state’s case?

Eddie Houston:
There were inconsistencies in testimony and how things were presented. Without transcripts, I cannot point back to what was actually said in court.

Madeline:
Do you believe supervision on parole should be paused if the official trial record is missing?

Eddie:
Parole decisions rely on what’s written. If the record is incomplete or inaccurate, that affects everything.

Madeline:

In wrongful conviction cases, suppression doesn’t always mean hidden evidence — sometimes it means minimized contradictions. Was there evidence or alibi detail that was never fully presented to the jury?

Eddie:

There was no physical proof tying me to the crime. I maintained I was in California. But that was not given full weight.

Madeline:

When you faced your alleged accuser in court, had you ever met him before?

Eddie:

No. I did not know him.

Madeline:

Do you know whether key witnesses are still living?

Eddie:

Some are deceased. I’m not sure about all of them.

Madeline:
Nearly half a century has passed since 1979. Do you feel time was used against you?

Eddie:
Yes. Over time, documents disappear, memories fade, and it becomes harder to prove innocence.

Madeline:
In your experience, is the standard for “actual innocence” set so high that it protects convictions more than it protects truth?

Eddie:
It doesn’t take much to convict someone. But it takes a lot to get out.

Madeline:
If you were advising lawmakers in Texas today, what reforms would you demand?

Eddie:
Preserve transcripts. Review informant testimony more closely. Have independent review — not controlled by the same office that prosecuted the case.

Madeline:
We discussed Conviction Integrity Units and independent innocence commissions. Oversight matters. When officials retire or pass away, the defendant is still left fighting.

Madeline:
Mr. Eddie, what would you say to someone listening who feels buried by the system?

Eddie:
Keep trying. Don’t give up. You never know what might happen tomorrow.

Madeline (Closing):
Being released is not the same as being cleared. This episode highlights the impact of missing records, high legal thresholds for innocence, and the need for structural reform.

This is Part 2 of our four-part series. Join us next week for Part 3 as we continue examining the unanswered questions in Eddie Houston’s case.

You’ve been listening to Resilience2Redemption.
Keep seeking the truth. Keep standing for justice. And never stop using your voice for those the system tried to silence.

Joining us again is Eugene Bickley, who has been incarcerated with the Missouri Department of Corrections for nearly 29 years following a St. Louis City conviction. In Part One, we explored procedural barriers and the concept of silence as an institutional strategy. Today, our focus remains strictly on matters within the public record court filings, post-conviction attempts, and documented events surrounding law enforcement accountability.

This conversation does not attempt to re-litigate Eugene’s case. Instead, we examine what happens when certain facts never receive full judicial examination and what that means for the integrity of the justice system.

Eugene shares that a detective connected to his case was later prosecuted under federal color-of-law violations and served time in federal prison. With that development, Eugene attempted to pursue legal mechanisms to have those findings reviewed in connection with his own conviction. However, he explains that each filing was dismissed procedurally often without substantive review or written opinion.

For listeners, that distinction matters. Procedural dismissal means courts may decline to examine the merits of new or emerging information. Eugene describes what he calls “rubber-stamp denials,” leaving him without meaningful judicial examination of claims tied to documented misconduct.

During our discussion, Eugene reflects on a 16-hour interrogation he says involved coercion and physical pressure. He explains that despite later developments regarding the detective’s conduct in other cases, his own claims have never been fully evaluated through an evidentiary hearing. Over time, multiple pro se filings and post-conviction motions were submitted, but the outcomes remained unchanged denied without opinion or dismissed on procedural grounds.

We also examine the broader question: when evidence exists in the public record but is never substantively reviewed, is that oversight or systemic protection? Eugene believes the issue extends beyond one case and reflects structural barriers faced by many incarcerated individuals seeking post-conviction relief.

He emphasizes the importance of documentation—certified mail, tracked submissions, and maintaining records—so incarcerated individuals can establish a verifiable timeline of their legal efforts. For those navigating post-conviction review, documentation becomes a form of protection.

As this episode concludes, Eugene prepares to submit a comprehensive review packet to the Conviction Integrity Unit for independent evaluation. Whether that submission results in review remains to be seen, but it represents another step in a process that has spanned decades.

If this conversation challenges you in any way, stay encouraged. Study the public record. Share responsibly. Continue asking questions about accountability and transparency within the system.

I created Resilience2Redemption to be a voice for those the world often refuses to hear. This platform is more than a podcast to me it is a bridge between prison walls and the outside world.

Every episode, I sit with individuals who are incarcerated, formerly incarcerated, advocates, and professionals who are working tirelessly for truth and justice. Their stories are not statistics. They are human lives that deserve to be heard, understood, and remembered.

I speak hope into places where many feel forgotten.
I speak light where darkness has tried to silence truth.
And I remind every listener, whether behind a wall or listening from home that your story still matters.

To those listening who feel invisible: I see you.
To families waiting and praying: I stand with you.
To advocates and professionals fighting for justice: your work is not in vain. This podcast exists so voices will echo beyond confinement and into the hearts of people around the world.
Together, we continue to believe in resilience, redemption, and the power of truth. 🎧 Listen. Share. Stand for justice.
Your support helps these voices reach the world.

This episode of Resilience2Redemption takes listeners inside a conversation that refuses to stay silent.

We sat down with Frans Douw, former Dutch warden and international prison reform advocate, following his time in Texas attending “The Nightmare of Sleep in Prison” conference. The discussion exposes a rarely examined issue—sleep deprivation behind bars—and its long-term psychological and human-rights implications.

Adding critical local perspective, Jessica Dickerson of Texas Prison Community Advocates shared front-line insight into what families and incarcerated individuals are reporting inside Texas facilities. Her voice grounded the international research in lived, real-time advocacy.

Together, this conversation bridged continents—Amsterdam to Texas—connecting policy, lived experience, and community action. It challenged listeners to reconsider what humane incarceration truly means and whether basic human needs—like sleep—are being compromised in ways that harm rather than rehabilitate.

This episode is not just informative—it is a call to awareness, accountability, and reform.

Listen closely. Share intentionally. Change begins with informed voices.

Welcome to Resilience2Redemption. This platform exists so that even when individuals are not seen by the system, their voices will still echo across the world.

Today’s episode is titled, “From 99 Years to Freedom on Paper: The Case for Eddie Houston’s Actual Innocence.”

Our guest is Mr. Eddie “Fast Eddie” Houston from Texas.

On November 15, 1979, an off-duty deputy sheriff was found dead near West Street and Lyons Avenue. An investigation followed that eventually led to Eddie Houston being charged, convicted, and sentenced to 99 years in prison for a crime he maintains he did not commit.

Eddie spent more than 36 years incarcerated. He entered prison in his late 30s and was released decades later under parole provisions — but not exonerated. Today, he remains on parole supervision and continues seeking actual innocence and a cleared name.

Mr. Eddie, welcome. Can you briefly share what led to your conviction?

Eddie Houston:
My case goes back to 1979. I have always maintained I was in California at the time of the crime. I did not know the people involved. But I was charged and convicted anyway.

Madeline:
There were initial suspects. Witness statements reportedly changed. Informant claims surfaced. You were sentenced to 99 years. Years later, your trial transcripts were destroyed. How did that affect your appeals?

Eddie:
Without transcripts, you can’t show what was said in court. You can’t point out inconsistencies. That makes it almost impossible to challenge the conviction.

Madeline:
So to clarify for our audience, those transcripts no longer exist?

Eddie:
That’s correct.

Madeline:
You were eventually released after serving over 36 years under a Texas release provision. But you’re still on parole. How is that possible?

Eddie:
They let you out based on time served. But the conviction still stands. You’re not cleared — you’re just outside prison walls.

Madeline:
For someone pursuing actual innocence in Texas today, what does it take?

Eddie:
It takes money, lawyers, investigators, and new evidence. When records are gone, it makes it even harder.

Madeline:
If prosecutors or investigators were required to answer you today, what would you ask?

Eddie:
Why was evidence ignored? Why were statements allowed to change? And why were records destroyed when someone’s life depended on them?

Madeline:
Do you have a message for listeners facing similar battles?

Eddie:
Don’t give up. Every step matters. I’ve been fighting since 1979. Keep pushing forward.

Madeline (Closing):
Being released is not the same as being proven innocent. Freedom on paper is not always justice.

This is Part One of a four-part series examining Eddie Houston’s fight for actual innocence.

If you believe justice must include truth, share this episode and stay informed.

You’ve been listening to Resilience2Redemption. I’m Madeline-Michelle Carthen your host.

Until next time — keep seeking truth and standing for justice.